Local Redefined: Harris Teeter's 'Local' Tomatoes

Sometimes a picture says it all. Eric Henry, of green t-shirt pioneers TS Designs, posted this on his Facebook page. The focus isn't what it could be, so for those who can't read it - it's a tomato, proudly displayed in a Harris Teeter store above a "Locally Grown" sign, and labeled as produce of Canada. The only trouble? Eric lives in Burlington, North Carolina.

As one commenter on Eric's Facebook page put it - "Locally Grown. Remotely Sold." Apparently it's not the first time it's happened in this store either. Eric reports that he's also seen "local" sweet potatoes from Mexico, despite the fact that Nash and Wilson Counties in NC are apparently the sweet potato capital of the world. Perhaps the staff at Harris Teeter need to brush up on Collin's Green Basics post on local food, or read Time Magazine's article on local food going mainstream. At the very least they need to work on their geography.